Monday, December 3, 2012

Shower Design Do's and Don'ts....guest post

Frameless Glass Shower Enclosure Design Tips!Upgrading to a new glass shower enclosure can be a painstaking process… but with a little bit of meticulous planning, your new shower install will go seamless. The shower design process and pre-planning helps so that moisture is kept INSIDE the shower, leaks are avoided and mold does not form.

Tip 1: The Shower head Position

While it may be common sense, the position of one’s shower head is one of the most vital things to consider when designing your glass shower enclosure. To minimize leakage, you never want your shower head positioned facing the opening of the shower door. You want the shower head to be facing the tiled walls or fixed panels. This will help keep the water inside the shower enclosure, and not on your bathroom floor. In the illustrations above, the first two examples are ideal. Avoid what is shown in the third example.

Tip 2: Raised Tiles and Overhangs

When dealing with odd overhangs and raised tiles, one might wonder the best way to keep the water in one's new shower.

For one, to avoid gaps between the wall and the glass, use a fixed glass panel in your shower design and notch the tile so that the panel can be lined up flush against the wall. The maximum width and depth for notching raised tile is ¾” (depth) and ½” (width). To notch overhangs deeper than ¾” depth, you will need to consult a tile professional. Keep in mind that the enclosure may in some instances still require the use of a metal filler (pictured above right) between the glass and the buttress wall.

Another thing to consider – frameless glass shower enclosures are sealed with a clear silicone. You may be anxious to jump into your brand new shower, but the setting process takes 24 hours. This is to ensure the moisture stays locked in the shower area, and the frameless hardware is fully settled.

Tip 3: Curb Tops

To decrease the likelihood of leaks in your shower enclosure, make sure that the curb top you use is a solid piece of tile, marble, or granite. Avoid a shower curb that is tiled with grout. Water collects in the grout joints and it may be an area where mildew can form. While it may be more expensive, having a solid piece of granite for the curb top (sans any grout lines) fixes this potential problem. See the third picture above to see the ideal curb top for your glass shower enclosure.

Tip 4: Pipes and Wiring

This tip is especially helpful if you're installing a shower in a new section of your home, perhaps an unfinished basement or an expanded bathroom. Be wary of any plumbing pipe and electrical wiring where you will be anchoring your shower enclosure. Anchoring screws may puncture anything behind the studs or walls.

Other tips: Use a glass and mirror company that fabricates their own glass. If there are ever any snares in the installation process, a flexible glass company will be able to fabricate your tempered shower glass in less than a day.

These tips will ensure your shower enclosure avoids leakage and mold, and is easy to clean and maintain. Not to mention, being diligent in your shower enclosure design, ensures that the installers run into zero problems come installation day. One thing is for sure, you will be amazed how a frameless glass shower enclosure is sturdy, lacks ugly and bulky hardware, and keeps the water inside!

This is a great guide for people who are planning a DIY project on frameless showers, or a general idea of what they want the installer to do. I’m planning to remodel my bathroom sometime soon, and this will definitely help. Cheers! :)

Thank you for the informative article! I am currently doing some bathroom remodeling and I’m thinking of replacing our shower with a frameless one. The shower’s not here yet, but it wouldn’t hurt to read ahead. Cheers!

You did a great job, Amber! I love it!But I have found a new alliance opportunity for Designers/Interior Designer and Architect,with the help of GROHE Designer Alliance to make the bathroom unique and comfortable according your choice.

Thank you for posting this information and photos. I am in the middle of remodeling my master bathroom and I would love to install a standard bi-pass door on my shower. I think it is a beautiful look and it's just something different. Is it going to be a problem if my shower is larger than 60"? Do you know where I could find shower doors portland and shower doors portland oregon ? Thank you for your help.

Thank you for posting this information and photos. I am in the middle of remodeling my master bathroom and I would love to install a standard bi-pass door on my shower. I think it is a beautiful look and it's just something different. Is it going to be a problem if my shower is larger than 60"? Do you know where I could find shower doors portland and shower doors portland oregon ? Thank you for your help.

I really like the look of frameless shower doors. I want one for my master bathroom. Luckily, I am getting a custom home built right now and I want my shower to look like yours. http://www.allstateglass.com/showers.html

I know this is an old thread, but seriously, it's worth taking a look at. Everyone out there says they have the best glass, but they don't have the best prices. The only way is to deal with the original glass manufacturer . It's quality glass, and way more affordable than going through a design center or retailer, or designer.

The final message, though, should be DO get frameless shower doors. They are amazing. They stay streak free for years, and they look so much better than shower curtains. Thiago | http://www.suburbanglass.ca/en/

Thanks for the post! I think that glass showers look great! I am in the process of building a new home right now. I want my master bathroom to be very nice, since the one I have right now is very old and small. I want my shower to look similar to that.Gary Puntman | http://www.showerdoorsandmore.com

This shower is stunning, no matter how many times look at it I can't get enough of it. If I could have a glass shower with this kind of stone work around it, I would be in heaven. I love little things like this that keep me dreaming. Cynthia | http://www.sgminc.ca/shower_enclosures.html

You are right, shower glass doors are definitely a do and not a don't for your home bathroom. They are very beautiful and very well made at the same time. The way that they are made and designed really make things that much better and more worth it too.Jak Manson | http://www.sgminc.ca/shower_enclosures.html

You're right that they can be very beautiful. I have seen some that look very nice and some that don't. I think it just has to deal with how it matches with everything else. http://www.showerfix.net.au/

I agree with Jak on this, glass shower doors are definitely a good idea. I have actually been planning on doing a little renovation in my bathroom, and a glass shower enclosure is on my list of things to put in. It's going to be nice to get rid of the tub and shower curtain combo.Keara Littner | http://www.theritewayglass.com

Every time I buy a new house I renew the bathrooms. I love designing my own bathroom! Recently I have been looking for new ideas for my shower doors so thanks for the tips! I have been leaning toward frame-less shower doors recently. -Jesse White| http://www.suburbanglass.ca

You didn't include it in your tips, but I'd have to say that the placement of the shower head is more than just for leaks. It also makes a difference with height! I've been in some showers that were clearly designed for someone shorter. It makes for a difficult time.

We are thinking about installing a frameless shower door in our home. This article was very informative and offered a lot of good advice. The accompanying illustrations and examples were particularly helpful. This should help us install the door properly.

These are great examples of the do's and don'ts of shower enclosures. Following these few easy things will make showering better and more enjoyable as well. It is nice to be able to enjoy your shower and stay relaxed the whole time. That is why these all are such great ideas to take into consideration when installing a shower enclosure.http://www.glassimpressionsinc.com/residentialservices.html

I am going to be doing some remodeling in my bathroom this coming spring. It is a good thing I came to this website, since the contractor I was going to use wanted to have the shower head face the door. Even though I told him many times not to do that. Anyways, I will be needing to get a custom shower door made since I am wanting to expand the area of my shower. http://www.southernglassinc.com/index-4.html

It makes sense that you'd want to have the shower head pointing pretty much anywhere but at the shower door. My parents asked me to help them install a new shower enclosure in their bathroom, since neither of them really know how to do it. At this point, I'm just waiting on them to figure out which door they want to put on the enclosure. After that, it shouldn't be too difficult to put it all together.Andre | http://www.citymirror.net

Shower filters are the most suitable and appropriate way to get away from the external foreign contaminants or matters while having showering or bathing. While using normal shower there is numerous of chlorine and other particulates present in it whereas shower water vanishes 20-80percent chlorine from the water and makes it safe for the daily use. It also declines the weight of water as mass of bacteria gets illuminated from the water.

One of the things I like about frameless shower enclosures is the ease of cleaning them. Yes transparent surface seem to develop hard water stains a lot faster than say tile, but remember that, irrespective of the surface you have in your shower, that will happen, it just happens to be more visible, thus making it easier to get clean. On the other hand, if it is designed and constructed properly, that will seldom happen, provided you maintain a good cleaning schedule, you might not even see it happen.

One of the things I like about frameless shower enclosures is the ease of cleaning them. Yes transparent surface seem to develop hard water stains a lot faster than say tile, but remember that, irrespective of the surface you have in your shower, that will happen, it just happens to be more visible, thus making it easier to get clean. On the other hand, if it is designed and constructed properly, that will seldom happen, provided you maintain a good cleaning schedule, you might not even see it happen.

Frameless shower doors are stylish. The pics that is covered here is beautiful.Thanks for sharing. Keeping water spot off of these showers are important to make it looking good - it is covered here: http://behindtheshower.com/clean-water-spots-off-shower-glass/ .